Stranger Things 3: Destiny of the Chosen (Working Title)
by Violet Rose of Darkness
Summary: After Eleven closed the gate at Hawkins Laboratory, all seemed to be good as the children enjoy their time at the Snow Ball. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. As it turns out, the Upside Down affected El and Will more than anyone realized. With that and the threat of Brenner still looming, things can't get any worse. Oh wait, of course they can. Enter: Kali Prasad
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my lovely people! I saw a lot of writers doing a sequel to the second season, so I thought I would try my hand as well and play around with the idea! Also because this hiatus is killing me and I have to fill the void somehow... anyway, please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

Eleven was sure she couldn't be happier.

She rested her head on Mike's shoulder as they slowly swayed to the music. His hands were firmly holding her waist, as if he were afraid that if he let go, she would disappear for another year again. Eleven in turn had her fingers locked around the back of his neck, she herself dreading the idea of going another year without seeing him in person or being able to touch him.

"Missed you a lot," she told him for what felt like the hundredth time. She couldn't help it. The year they had spent apart had been the hardest year of her life. Harder than all the abuse by her "father," her body and mind being exposed to complete strangers, and being punished physically and mentally when she messed up. Nothing compared to the aching in her heart at not being able to be with him.

Of course, Mike didn't seem to mind. "I missed you too," he whispered back. If it was possible, his grip on her tightened. Like her, he had never experienced a more difficult time in his thirteen years of existence. He didn't expect himself to be so attached to someone - to a _girl_ no less. But El was different. He couldn't explain how, she just was.

"Hopper says another year..."

Mike froze at that. " _What_?"

"Talked to Dr. Owens," El continued. "Says it's not safe."

No, no, no! He couldn't go another year without seeing her! Calling her for those three hundred and fifty three days and never receiving an answer had been absolute torture, never knowing if she was dead or alive. There was no way he could survive for that long without her again. Mike gently took her hand and pulled her off to the side. "Have you talked to him about it?" he asked.

El shrugged. "Stubborn," was all she said.

Mike crossed his arms with a huff. "Yeah? Well, I'm stubborn too. Don't worry about it, El. I'll talk to him."

El smiled at him brightly. "Promise?"

Mike nodded eagerly. "I promise."

Eleven smiled contentedly before another thing came to mind that made her frown. "Mike?"

"Yeah?"

She nodded to the redhead who was dancing happily with Lucas. "Do you 'like' _her_?" She made sure to put extra emphasis on the word "like." Nancy had told her that the word could mean two different things; it all depended on how she said it.

Mike's eyes followed her gaze, immediately catching on to her tone. "Who, Max?" He couldn't help himself, he let out a hearty laugh at that. He had only _just_ started tolerating her as a friend. Why would she think that? "No, no. Max is a friend. Just a friend." He grinned down at her slyly. "El, are you jealous?"

Eleven stared at him. "Jealous?" she repeated, trying to remember if that had been one of her words of the day. Right, that had come up in one of her soaps and Hopper had her look it up in a dictionary. _Feeling or showing envy of someone._ She immediately felt her face heat up as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Not jealous."

Mike laughed again and led her back onto the dance floor. "I think it's cute," he admitted. The corners of her mouth turned up, but she said nothing in response. Still, she suddenly felt bad. Max was only a friend to Mike and she obviously 'liked' Lucas. It was mean of her to push her off her skateboard and to treat her so coldly at the Byers' household. The right thing to do, she had learned from TV, would be to apologize.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Max retreat to the bathroom. Perfect. El pulled away from Mike. "Be back," she promised before quickly following the redhead, hoping to make a friend. She slowly opened the door to the bathroom. "Max?"

"Ew, what are you wearing?" Eleven caught sight of the redhead being cornered by a black haired girl with a fancy dress on. "Where did you get that dress? The dumpster?" El thought this was poor judgement, Max's dress was really nice in her opinion.

Max wasn't about to back down. "Piss off, Yvonne," she snarled. "At least I'm not wearing a poodle on my head."

"You'd better watch your mouth, _tomboy_ ," the girl, Yvonne, snapped, getting in Max's face. She said the last word as if it were something to be ashamed of. El racked her brain to see if she knew what the word meant. _A girl who enjoys rough, noisy activities traditionally associated with boys._ Wait, didn't that make her a tomboy as well? What was wrong with liking guy things?

"I'd rather be a tomboy than a bitch," retorted Max. Yvonne went to slap her, but was suddenly frozen in place. Max had to cover her mouth to hold in her laughter as blood came running down her leg, obviously from her period. The girl screeched loudly and ran out of the bathroom (and probably the school).

El smiled in satisfaction before striding into the bathroom and approaching Max. "Sorry," she said simply, holding out her hand.

Max looked from her hand and then back at her before pushing away her arm and bringing her in for a hug instead. "It's cool," she assured the other girl. "I've been waiting to meet you, the guys never shut up about you."

El was surprised, but hugged her back. "Not mad?" she asked.

Max snorted and pulled away. "Mad? How can I be mad when you literally just made Yvonne Kelly's period overflow?"

Eleven giggled. "Mean?"

Max nodded. "The bitchiest bitch you'll find in the eighth grade," she confirmed. She paused and looked at the shorter girl with uncertainty on her face. "Are we... friends now?"

"If you want to be."

Max grinned widely. "I want to be."

OoOoOo

"You can't keep her locked in the cabin for another whole year!" Mike insisted. As he promised El, he was talking to Hopper about going to school at the Buyers house. He was getting extremely frustrated going back and forth with Hopper about this. El had been kept inside the damn laboratory her whole life. She deserved more than anybody to be able to go to school, walk to the store for Eggos, and hang out with her friends whenever she pleased. He knew she felt like a prisoner again and that's the last thing he wanted her to feel. El was watching them with nervous eyes and Mike sent her a reassuring smile.

Hopper wasn't backing down. "Do you want her happy or do you want her safe?" he demanded.

"What makes you so sure she's safe _there_?" Mike shot back. "They know she's going to be hidden, they'll be looking for her hiding. But not one will suspect she's hiding in plain sight."

Hopper squinted at him. "What the hell kind of messed up logic is that?"

Joyce seemed to find this a good time to intervene. "He has a point, Hop. Sometimes, it's best to hide in plain sight, it's something they'll never expect." Mike gave her a grateful smile.

Hopper groaned. "Don't you start, Joyce."

"Hop, _please_." Everyone stopped and looked at Eleven whose eyes were filled with tears that were threatening to fall. "I want to be normal."

Of course, if you could resist El's puppy dog eyes, you weren't human. She and Hopper stared one another down before the latter finally sighed. "Dammit. Okay, here is what we're going to do." El immediately perked up and Mike sighed in relief. "El, you won't start school until the next school year." He held up a hand to stop Mike's objections. " _But_ , you will be able to go out into town a few times a week to hang out with your friends as long as you wear sunglasses to cover your face. You all have to call her Jane in public - no exceptions." His eyes narrowed at Eleven in particular. "And no using your powers unless it's an emergency."

"Sunglasses?"

"Glasses that protect your eyes from the sun," Will explained.

"But they're also dark enough to hide your eyes," Jonathan continued.

"I think some red ones would look nice on you, El," Nancy piped up. "Or maybe purple."

Hopper rolled his eyes. "I don't care what the color is as long as she wears them. So, what do you say, kid? We got a deal?"

El nodded eagerly. "Deal." Halfway happy was better than not happy, after all.

OoOoOo

"El?" whispered Mike her a few hours later. After everything had calmed down, the two were alone in the living room. Hopper had gone to the police station for something, Jonathan and Nancy were in his room doing God knows what, and Joyce was doing a bit of work outside of the house.

"Yes?"

"Where were you before you flung that Demodog through the window?" It was something he'd been wanting to ask her for a long time. "And why were you wearing all that black?"

Eleven stared at him quietly for a moment before responding. "I was with my sister," she told him. "She and friends gave me a 'makeover.'"

Mike's eyes went wide. "You have a _sister_?" Well that was news to him.

El tilted her head to the side. "We were both in the lab," she revealed. "When we were small. Mama sent me to her."

"What's she like?" asked Mike.

Eleven smiled wistfully, looking up at the ceiling. "Very pretty," she answered. "And... intense. Smart too." She chuckled. She wondered where Kali was now. Probably living life to the fullest with no worries at all. "Her name is Kali, used to be Eight."

OoOoOo

Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_.

This was bad. This was worse than bad, this was the worst thing to ever happen. Kali Prasad jabbed a knife deep into a nearby wooden wall, anger surging through her veins at what she had just learned. Martin Brenner was alive. He was alive and looking for her and Jane. She had to warn the girl. She had to get to Jane and take her to safety, somewhere Brenner would never find them. Because as far as Kali was concerned, she was her only family left.

Easier said than done, however. Brenner has eyes everywhere and she didn't even know where Jane was. What was the name of that damn town? Holden? Hawker? Wait, it was _Hawkins_. Yeah, that's right. Jane was living in Hawkins, Indiana in a secluded cabin with that _police officer_. Kali's experience with the police had never been good, so she was naturally untrusting of them. And she would _never_ trust one with her sister.

Well, it looked like she was going back to Indiana. Great.

OoOoOo

Mike and El were still talking when the latter suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She attempted to ignore it, instead trying to focus on what Mike was saying. She bit her lip, feeling the pain increase exponentially, becoming almost unbearable. It felt like there was something eating away at her very insides, trying to claw its way out of her.

Mike noticed her pain. "El?" he said frantically. "El, are you okay?"

El gave him a pained expression before collapsing onto the floor, writhing in pain and clutching at her stomach. "M-Mike," she gasped out. "H-Hurts." She soon began to scream, a horrible, hurt shriek that broke his heart in two.

"El!" exclaimed Mike, his voice cracking with worry. He was by her side immediately, gripping her shoulders. "What's wrong?!" To say the boy was scared was an understatement. He was terrified for her. He lost her once, he couldn't bare to lose her again - for good this time. He put his hand to her forehead, but recoiled half a second after; she was burning up. "NANCY! JONATHAN!"

His sister immediately rushed over to him, concern etched on her face. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"I don't know!" shouted Mike. "She just started screaming and holding her stomach!"

A wide-eyed Jonathan came into the room. "The same thing's happening to Will," he told them before rushing back to his brother. Nancy and Mike looked at each other before picking up El and carrying her into Will's room. They placed the two children next to each other and watched as they both screamed their pain, all three of them powerless to stop it.

"MOM!" yelled Jonathan.

Joyce immediately came running into the room. Her expression turned to one of panic as she caught sight of her son and (practically daughter) and rushed to their sides. "What happened?" she demanded.

"They both just started screaming," explained Nancy, biting her lip nervously. "We don't know why." Will and Eleven's screams only grew louder, making them all wince at their obvious pain.

Mike couldn't watch his best friend and his girlfriend (still debatable) hurting so much. He looked around the room for something to make it stop. He spotted the syringe they used to sedate Will before and quickly grabbed it before injecting it in both El and Will's necks. They continued to shriek for a few more seconds before their eyes began to droop and they were rendered unconscious.

The rest of them simply stared at each other, none of them knowing what was wrong with the two children or how to fix it.

OoOoOo

 **Guys, the app for this website is complete and utter trash. I went back to this chapter to fix one word, one word, on it because I didn't feel like going on my laptop and the dumbass app deleted, like, five hundred words. Five hundred freaking words, just gone. I don't even know how since the word I fixed was nowhere near the part that got deleted. So, I'm really sorry that the last part of this chapter is so different and not as good. I just couldn't remember everything I wrote. And anyone who's coming across this fic now, just know that it was a lot better before, I promise.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the kind words last chapter! I hope I live up to your expectations! Without further ado, here's chapter two (hey, that rhymed!)**

OoOoOo

"Jane? Jane, wake up."

Eleven groaned as she forced her eyes open. Her body ached all over, but the excrutiating pain from the previous night was nearly gone. Staring down at her was a familiar set of wide, almost-black orbs. She blinked, trying to put a name to the face she was seeing. "K-Kali?" She attempted to sit up, only for her sister to gently push her back down.

Kali smiled at her, gently brushing back her curls with her hand. "I'm here," she uttered quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Crap," El answered honestly, surprising both herself and Kali. She must have been spending too much time with Dustin. Either that or she picked it up from Hopper. "How are you here?"

Kali smirked. "I drove, obviously," she deadpanned.

Eleven frowned at her; the difference between "how" and "why" were still lost on her at times. " _Why_ are you here?" she corrected herself. Last time the two had seen each other, they hadn't ended on the best terms. That wasn't to say they disliked each other, quite the opposite actually. But the older girl wouldn't just show up in Hawkins for no reason, especially since she knew how dangerous it was. No, Kali was here for a reason and she feared that it wasn't a good one.

The smirk slowly slipped from Kali's face as her lips formed a thin line. "Brenner is alive," she revealed, never one to beat around the bush. She knew El obviously wasn't feeling well and she probably should have withheld the information for a bit, but she wasn't the police officer; she didn't lie or make false promises to the one person she cared about most. Her sister needed to know this stuff. "He's trying to find us."

Eleven froze at that. Suddenly, she began to shake violently, tears streaming down her face. Every test, every punishment she had endured in the lab flashed in front of her eyes. What if they got her again? What if _he_ got her again. She'd never get to see Hopper, Joyce, her friends, or Mike ever again. She remembered what she was like before she had met them; lifeless, an empty shell of a person. She didn't want to be that anymore.

Kali wiped her tears away before taking the younger girl's hands in hers. "Shh, Jane, it's alright," she soothed. "We'll go somewhere far away from here where Brenner can't get us."

"Can't go back," El whispered, burying her face into her sister's shoulder.

"You won't," Kali assured her. "We aren't those same little girls anymore, Jane. We're older, smarter, and stronger."

"Sorry," Eleven muttered, her voice muffled by her sister's shirt.

"For what?"

"Leaving." Kali didn't say anything, just let Eleven cling to her. She almost chuckled; the lab had made them both leavers, especially Kali. They weren't people to root themselves to one place and if they _were_ in a certain place too long, they got antsy and paranoid. At least Jane had people she cared about that would prevent her from running. Kali, on the other hand, would leave at the first sight of a dangerous situation she knew she couldn't win. Her sister was a lot braver than she was...

"Hey, El, are you- _what the hell_?" Both girls turned to see Mike standing in the doorway gaping at them. He snapped out of his trance, however, and was immediately on the defensive. "Who the hell are you?"

Kali regarded the boy. "So, this is your Michael?" she asked Eleven. When the brunette nodded, she shrugged. "Have to say, Jane, I'm not impressed. You could do so much better." El frowned at that.

Realization crossed Mike's face. "You're Kali," he stated. "Number eight."

Kali rolled her eyes. "Congratulations, you figured it out," she muttered sarcastically. "Real genius you have there, Jane."

Eleven looked at Mike, then back at Kali before her eyes widened. "Hopper doesn't know." It wasn't a question.

Kali shrugged. "Why should I have to justify seeing my sister to your police officer?" she rationalized. In her opinion, she took precedence over everyone in Jane's life, as she was her sister and the only one who can truly understand her. No one else can imagine the horrors they both had been through. She didn't care what anyone said, Jane needed her more than anybody else.

Mike glanced nervously at the door. "If Hopper sees you here, he'll lose his shit."

Kali waved him off. "Don't worry about him, I'll take care of it."

Eleven eyed her cautiously. "Kali..." she warned. While Kali's powers were very useful and even beautiful and innocent at times, she didn't like the idea of her messing with her adoptive father's head.

Kali laughed and ruffled El's hair. "It's not like I'll make him see the cabin burning down. If he comes in here, he'll see you sleeping peacefully and your boyfriend at your side." Michael was confused, but didn't say anything.

El shook her head. "Sick," she tried to explain, not even denying the boyfriend comment. "Need him."

Kali turned sharply to Mike. "Elaborate," she snapped.

"Last night she and my friend Will just started screaming and holding their stomachs in pain," said Mike, slightly intimidated by the older girl. "We think it might have something to do with the Upside Down."

"What the hell is that?" asked Kali, incredulous.

Mike cocked an eyebrow at the curly haired girl. "You didn't tell her about it?"

Eleven shrugged. "Didn't ask. _You_ tell."

Michael sighed. He had a feeling he'd never be able to say no to that girl. "The Upside Down is an alternate dimension, parallel to our own, except there's no people, there are vines everywhere, and it's really dark. The people at the laboratory made El touch the Demogorgon in the Void."

"The Demo-what?"

Mike resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Demogorgon," he repeated impatiently. "It's a monster that's attracted to blood and takes humans from here to the Upside Down to feed on them. Anyway, when El touched it, she ended up creating a gate to the Upside Down - don't give me that look, Eleven, it's not your fault, it's theirs -" Sure enough, the girl's expression resembled that of a kicked puppy. "and my friend Will was taken. We got him home, but Hopper thinks that because Will was there so long and El has a connection to it that it's affecting them somehow."

Kali crossed her arms, expectantly. "And how, pray tell, does that police officer plan to fix my sister?" she demanded. If anything happened to Jane, Kali was ready to hold her policeman fully responsible.

"What the hell is going on in here?" All three heads snapped to the doorway to see Hopper standing there with a very angry look on his face.

"Aw, shi-" began Eleven before Mike quickly covered her mouth, shaking his head. No doubt she picked that word up from himself. Hopper already looked pissed off enough, no need for him to be even more angry due to the fact that Mike had (unintentionally, he might add) taught his daughter a swear word.

"Ah, so you're the police officer," said Kali. She stood up, her eyes scanning over him like she did everyone she met. It was how she analyzed them. She had planned on not alerting him to her existence, but there was no point trying to hide it now.

"Yeah, and who the hell are you?"

Kali gestured to El. "Her sister."

Hopper's eyes widened as he looked from Eleven, to Mike, to Kali, and then back at Eleven. "Kid, explain this."

"Both in the lab. Kali is my sister." El pulled up Kali's sleeve. "Number Eight. Mama led me to her."

"You're the one who gave her that punk MTV makeover," Hopper realized, already deciding that this Kali was a bad influence on his daughter.

Kali shrugged. "She looked badass, didn't she?"

"Why are you here?" demanded Hopper, deciding to cut right to the chase. The girl was obviously nothing but trouble. He could see it by her purple-dyed hair and her all-black attire.

Kali's cocky attitude suddenly dropped completely. "Because Brenner's alive and he's after us." Both Mike and Hopper instantly went rigid and El looked as though she might cry again. "I need to take Jane away from here."

Before Hopper could tell the teenager that there was 'no way in hell she was taking his daughter anywhere,' Mike jumped up and was at Eleven's side in an instant, glaring daggers at her _and_ Hopper. "No," he protested.

Kali raised an eyebrow at the boy. "No?" she repeated incredulously.

"I'm sick of you, _both of you_!" Mike yelled at them, his anger getting the better of him (again). "You both think you know what's best for El, that you're doing what you're doing for her own good. Well, you know what? I call bullshit! Neither of you ever asked her what she wanted! You cant just decide that your way is the right way! El's her own person, she should be able to make decisions for herself!"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. They were treating Eleven as if she were an item and not a person, just like Brenner had treated her. He couldn't allow her to feel like she had ever again, it wasn't fair for someone to always be deciding her fate. "El, why don't we go for a walk?" Mike asked her softly, taking her hand in his.

Eleven smiled softly at him and nodded. "Yes," she whispered, getting out of bed. She needed to clear her head, and spending time with Mike always did just that. She had already been clothed as no one had deemed it necessary to put her pajamas on her last night. There was still a slight aching, but it was nothing compared to last night or even this morning.

"Kid-" Hopper began to object. She was still sick and needed rest. What if something worse than last night happened while those two were out?

Michael glared at him and if looks could kill he'd be dead on the floor. How could a thirteen year old have such of venomous look? He quickly grabbed a pair of purple sunglasses that Nancy had bought her and placed them on her face. He then grabbed her hand in his once more and led her out of the room, sending warning glares to the remaining to as they left.

OoOoOo

Will groaned as he attempted to go back to sleep, to no avail. Once he was awake, there was no going back to bed. He sighed and sat up. The events from last night came rushing back to him and he turned, noticing his mother sitting beside his bed, sleeping soundly. "Mom?" He reached out an arm to shake her gently, trying to wake her up.

Joyce's eyes snapped open and she sighed with relief upon seeing Will. "Oh, Will," she murmured, running her fingers through his hair. "How are you feeling, baby?"

"It still hurts," Will muttered in response. And it did. Though, it was only a dull aching compared to the previous night. "but not as much as last night. Is El alright?" Before they had knocked him out, he had seen the girl in a similar situation to his own when they laid her down next to him.

Joyce nodded. "She's fine," she assured her son. "Will, do you have any idea what happened?"

"The Mind Flayer," answered Will, his eyes zoning out for about half a second. He had seen it all, last night. He was there, in the Upside Down. Not there physically, like during his episodes. He was there mentally. "Or, at least I think it is. He isn't in my body anymore, or hers, but he's finding a way to cause us pain. He know El closed the gate and he's trying to look for a way out. To do that, he needs El to open it again. I think he's trying to hurt us enough to get her to open it."

Joyce cursed under her breath before caressing Will's cheek with her thumb. "Do you know how to get rid of him?" she asked.

Will looked around nervously before sighing. "Me and El need to go into the Upside Down and we need to kill him."

OoOoOo

 **Ugh, not my best chapter I have to say. Will and Kali are both really difficult characters to write, more so than Eleven believe it or not. I hope I did alright with them. And I know Will seemed to know everything at the last part, but he is a seer after all. And he most definitely does not know everything. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello my lovelies! How's your day going? Well, if it's going bad, I hope this chapter brightens your day! Please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

Eleven wasn't let outside very often, but when she was she enjoyed every minute of it. Before she had escaped the lab, she had never even seen the sky. "There's no reason for you to leave," Papa had told her. "Everything you need is here. There's nothing good out there." She now knew that he could not have been more wrong. It seemed like the outside world had _everything_ good. Television, Eggos, her friends, Hopper, Mike...

So you can imagine her elation when Mike had asked her to go on that walk.

The two of them held hands as the cold winter air surrounded them. El found that she liked the chilly air. Well, she liked it when there wasn't the risk of her freezing to death like before Hopper had found her. Still, the cold was the cold and even with her sweater on she could feel goosebumps forming on her skin.

"Are you cold?" Mike asked when he saw her shiver. "We can go back if you want."

El shook her head. "Alright," she assured him. "Like it." Mike nodded and absentmindedly began to caress her hand with her thumb. She felt her skin grow warm against the touch and her insides began to flutter. "Mike?"

"Yeah?"

El looked at him seriously. "You were mad," she stated, remembering his outburst at the cabin. "Why?"

Mike looked slightly conflicted as he debated what to say in his head. How could he explain this to her without reminding her of what they (if he ever gets the chance, he swears he'll kill Brenner and every single scientist who had helped him) had done to her in that goddamn lab? Was there even a way to explain this to her without upsetting her? "I wasn't mad," he fibbed, then cursed himself for it. He knew exactly how she would respond.

"Mike." He looked into her eyes, which were both narrowed dangerously. "Friends don't lie."

Shit. He had no one but himself to blame for teaching her that. He put his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay." Mike took a deep breath. "I was mad because no one was asking you what you wanted. Kali decided that you were going with her and Hopper decided that you weren't. No one asked you if you wanted to stay or go. I guess I was angry because you weren't being given a choice."

"Oh." She suddenly looked crestfallen and he panicked, thinking it was because of him. "Mike?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Scared." Scared wasn't even the word for what she was feeling. She was _terrified_. Papa was back and he was after her. She didn't want to go back with him, she wanted to stay with Mike and Hopper and all her friends. "Can't go back." She _wouldn't_ go back.

Mike's eyes darkened with anger, only it wasn't directed at her, and his grip on her hand tightened slightly. "You won't," he vowed. There was no way he would let that bastard get his hands on her again.

El looked at him with her big doe eyes. "Promise?"

Before he could stop himself, Mike lowered his head, his lips ghosting lightly across her forehead. "I promise."

OoOoOo

They stayed out for about an hour before heading back to the cabin. When they got there, Hopper and Kali were sitting on opposite sides of the room, both of them glaring each other down. Mike sighed in relief; the cabin was fully intact, so there hadn't been any physical fighting while they were gone. He was glad that both Kali and Hopper were mature enough to think about how El would feel is she found out they were fighting.

Kali was the first to notice them. "Jane, Michael," she greeted. "You're back."

Eleven nodded. "Cold," she commented, removing her coat and hanging it on the coatrack. Mike nodded in agreement. She looked at Hopper, ready to bust out her puppy dog face. "Can she stay?" She gestured to Kali.

Hopper shook his head. "Not a chance in hell, kid."

Kali rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Why? Afraid I'll corrupt her?"

"Actually, _yes_."

"Hop, please," begged El. She walked over to Kali and took her hand. "Sisters." She raised their joined hands and turned back to her adoptive father. "Family."

Hopper grunted. "Fine," he relented. "A couple of nights. That's it." Eleven beamed, pulling Kali towards her room. Hopper looked at the boy next to him expectantly. "Mike, keep an eye on Kali."

Mike blinked in surprise. "You trust me?"

Hopper scowled. "Of course not. I just trust her less." Michael rolled his eyes, but saluted mockingly and followed the two upstairs.

It was at that moment that there was a knock on the door. Hopper opened it to see Joyce and Will standing there, the former with a worried look in her eyes. "Jim, we have a problem," she said.

OoOoOo

After Joyce and Will had explained everything with Eleven, Kali (at El's insistence), and Michael joining them as well, Hopper had his face in his hands, clearly stressed out. This should be easy; there was no way they could risk opening the gate _and_ having Will and El go against the Mind Flayer by themselves; that would be the stupidest thing they could possibly do. But as he looked at said children, both pale and appearing rather sickly, he figured they might not have a choice.

"This is a... compromising situation," said Kali, being the first one to speak after everything had been explained. Hopper sent her a look, which she promptly ignored.

"Where is Jonathan?" asked Hopper, changing the subject and using it as a distraction from the walking, talking corruption sitting on his couch.

Mike scowled in disgust. "On a date with my sister," he answered.

"Should we tell the others?" asked Will.

"Friends don't lie," El pointed out. It was all she _could_ say. She didn't want this; she didn't want to think about Brenner or the gate or the Mind Flayer or her and Will's health condition. She wanted to focus on things like watching her soap operas, eating Eggos when Hopper wasn't looking, and spending time with Mike and the rest of her friends.

"You heard the woman," Michael piped up quietly. Everything had been going so great. He had Will, he had Eleven, and they had both been safe. And then everything went to hell in a matter of less than two days. Neither El nor Will deserved to go through this bullshit. It just wasn't fair to either of them.

Will nodded and made his way to the phone, dialing Lucas, Dustin, and Max's numbers respectively. He didn't mind being the one to do all the calling. It gave him something to keep his hands busy and take his mind off what was happening to him and Eleven.

Everyone else just sat in silence as the young boy began his task, no one knowing what to do or say. There were no inspirational thoughts, no strike of genius that always seemed to save them at the last minute.

They were at a lost.

OoOoOo

"Dr. Owens, we have a problem."

Sam Owens turned to the coworker of his that had spoken. "What is it, Dr. Blanch?" he asked the woman, rubbing his temples, obviously not up to dealing with anymore problems. It had been a very long week what with the lawsuits from Barbara Hollands and Bob Newby's families and all the protests from paranoid and restless citizens respectively.

Dr. Blanch's lips formed a thin line and she was quiet for a long moment. "I think you should come see for yourself," she said finally, leading him down the hall.

Sam's stomach formed a tight knot when he noticed that she was leading him towards the room where Eleven closed the gate. He silently pleaded to whatever force was out there that it was something minor and Blanch was just worrying for nothing. His efforts were in vain, however, when they came upon the sealed gate. Or, what _used_ to be a sealed gate.

There, sitting in the middle of said gate, was a very small, but still noticeable, rift.

"What happened?" Sam demanded, walking closer to inspect it. "Did someone here do this?" If only they were so lucky...

"No, sir," Blanch responded. "We think that something from the inside is trying to force its way here."

"Can it reopen the gate?" asked Sam.

Blanch shook her head. "We don't think so. But this does make the gate extremely fragile. It's a sort of weak point in our connecting worlds. If there was some sort of electromagnetic disturbance or something or similar proportions here, it could collapse, severely damaging or even destroying both worlds."

"Get this quarantined immediately," ordered Sam. "And make sure nothing happens to this gate." Blanch nodded and got to work, ordering a team of scientists into the room. The doctor sighed, hoping they would be able to keep this gate stabilized. If they were to fail, the results could be catastrophic.

OoOoOo

It wasn't long before Dustin, Lucas, and Max arrived at the cabin. Max immediately went to El's side and Lucas and Dustin both surrounded Will. They attempted to comfort their friends, to no avail. Both Will and El were in a sort of stand-still state, processing everything that had happened. Suddenly, they both tensed, their faces growing even more pale.

In the blink of an eye, the two young teenagers were writing in pain on the floor, screeching loudly. Everyone seemed taken back by this before springing into action. Max, Lucas, Dustin, and Mike held down their friends while Joyce grabbed the syringe out of her purse (she thanked God that she had thought to bring it along) and injected both children with it. They continued their shared episode for a few more seconds before they eventually drifted off into unconsciousness.

Kali and Hopper were the only ones who hadn't moved, too shocked at what had just transpired to do anything. It was simply too much to see the small girl they both cared so deeply about in so much pain. They had been frozen and utterly helpless at the sight. Hopper vaguely wondered how Joyce was always able to do it. She truly was the strongest woman he'd ever met.

Kali simply stared at the two unconscious children in shock. "The... 'Mind Flayer' caused that?" she asked, trying to ignore how ridiculous the name sounded.

Joyce nodded. "That's what Will said," she answered.

"And the only way to stop it is for them to go into the Upside Down and defeat it?"

Dustin pursed his lips. "Maybe not..." Everyone turned to him, relieved that someone finally had an answer.

"What do you mean?" asked Lucas.

"This is only a theory, but what if we put some distance between El and Will and the gate?" suggested Dustin. "Since El sealed it, the connection must be weak already. If we can take them out of Hawkins for a bit, his influence over them might go away. I think it'll work, but I need a second opinion."

Max rolled her eyes. "Nerd," she muttered under her breath. No one noticed. Or if they did, they didn't say anything. Her sarcastic manner was simply a defense when she was in intense emotional situations such as these.

"Like Mr. Clarke?" Mike realized, to which the other boy nodded.

"I'll call this time," volunteered Lucas, walking towards the phone. "You called him last time." About ten minutes later, he came back. "Mr. Clarke said that is was plausible. The gate is his only way of reaching them. If they're away from it he won't be able to hurt them. If we keep them away long enough, the connection won't even exist."

"But where the hell would we take them?" asked Hopper. "Brenner and his people must be everywhere, there's nowhere safe enough for El to be."

Kali raised her hand, a smug grin on her face and all eyes were suddenly on her. "I think I might know a place."

OoOoOo

"This is your fault, Brenner!"

Martin Brenner glared at the person across from him. "I told you, I have this all under control. There have just been some minor setbacks. Both Eleven and Eight will be back under our control very soon. We just need to be patient."

" _I've been patient_!" the person hissed at him. "I've been patient for seventeen years! First, your damn rush job experiments kills almost every single subject we have. And the only two who do survive escape! First Eight, whose powers could have been as strong as to actually _bend_ reality had she not escaped after only a few years and then Eleven who is possibly the most destructive force in this universe! How do you lose two _children_?!"

Martin sighed. It was going to be hell getting those two back with this partner of his, that is, if he didn't kill them first.

"Don't ignore me, Brenner!" snapped the person. "Don't forget who's funding this!"

Martin rolled his eyes. "How could I forget?" he muttered sarcastically.

OoOoOo

 **Four hours. I kid you not. It took me four fucking hours to write this. For some reason, this chapter really stumped me, so I apologize if it seems rushed. I will say this though, a lot of work went into this chapter, but it's worth it if you all liked it! Well, I guess I'll se you all next time. Buh-bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter four of "Destiny of the Chosen" (still working on that title)! Before we begin I wanted to apologize. It's been brought to my attention that I've been saying "Mind Frayer," when it's actually "Mind Flayer." Oops. Everyone makes mistakes, right? I'll just go back and fix that. I'm just surprised none of y'all have corrected me yet! Well, please enjoy this chapter anyway!**

OoOoOo

"Turn right here," Kali instructed, her eyes glued to the road. She was in the passenger's seat of Hopper's truck with the chief driving and Joyce and Michael sitting with the two unconscious children in the back. "Now another left." This was the most secure place she could think of where Eleven and Will would be safe, somewhere Brenner and his goons would never think to find them.

"Are we almost there?" Hopper asked irritably. They had been on the road for a little over an hour and he was getting anxious.

Kali ignored his question. "Right," she ordered. The car soon pulled up to a big, dark abandoned warehouse, not unlike the one El found her in. This part of town was so rundown and dirty that Brenner's people wouldn't dare sully their hands by searching around this neighborhood. She rolled her eyes at the thought; mouth breathers. She blinked, where did _that_ come from? "This is it."

Hopper looked at the building skeptically before glancing back at the teenager. "And you're sure it's safe?"

Kali's eyes were downcast and instead of replying in her normally sarcastic and blunt manner, she said softly, "After I escaped, I hid from Brenner for weeks here. He'll never find us."

Hopper didn't know what it was, but the way she talked with such sincerity and emotion in her voice made him believe her. "Joyce," he called to the woman, cranking his neck to face her. "We're here." Joyce looked up at him, her expression rather frazzled, before nodding. She gently lifted Will out of the truck while Hopper did the same to Eleven. They carried both children inside the warehouse and laid them down on a nearby mat.

Michael sat next to his friends, gazing at them with concern evident in his eyes. "Now what?" he asked.

"We wait," answered Hopper.

OoOoOo

Max rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Lucas, sit the hell down," she snapped. He had been pacing around the living room for the last half hour and it was driving her insane. She was worried about them too, but he really needed to calm down before he gave himself a heart attack. "They're going to be _fine_. So take a fucking chill pill."

Lucas stopped pacing and glared at her. "No, Max," he refused. "I won't 'take a fucking chill pill.' Will and El could _die_." He paused before adding, " _Again_." There were about a thousand different scenarios running through his head at what could happen and each and everyone of them ended horribly.

Max matched his glare, closing the distance between them and getting in his face. "You pacing around like a maniac isn't going to help them, dumbass," she retorted.

"Yeah, well-"

"Are you two gonna fight or make out?" Dustin chimed in.

Max and Lucas instantly separated from each other, the former's face turning almost as red as her hair and the latter looking just as embarrassed. " _Dustin_!" the redhead practically screeched. She then proceeded to sputter incoherent threats and accusations.

Dustin shrugged. "Hey, Lucas' shit-eating grin after the Snow Ball was enough of a hint," he joked.

"Really, shitheads? This is _so_ not the time to be talking about relationships." The three young teenagers turned to see Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan standing in the doorway. Steve had his trusty bat in one hand and Nancy carried a small gun in hers.

"Steve!" exclaimed Dustin a little too enthusiastically. At his friends' questioning looks, he just shrugged in response. "What?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Nothing," he answered. He turned to the older teenagers. "I'm just glad you guys got my voicemail."

Jonathan nodded, his eyebrows creasing with concern. "How are they?" he asked. He had told his mother that he would stay with her and Will, but Joyce had insisted he take Nancy on the date they had planned, assuring him that she could handle it.

Max frowned. "Not good," she answered. "The chief took them out of the city to break their connection with the Mind Flayer. Kali, El's sister, took them somewhere she thinks those bastards won't find them."

Nancy looked around. "Where's Mike?" she asked, though she had a feeling she knew the answer.

"He went with them, duh," Dustin said. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You know he's never letting her out of his sight again."

Lucas once again rolled his eyes and lightly shoved him. "Dude, not the time."

"So, why am I here?" asked Steve, his fingers caressing the bat nervously. He was only part of this little group because of Nancy and now that they were broken up, what was he good for? You know, besides being pretty good with a bat.

"Well, the chief figured that those two would be too engrossed with each other to watch us properly," Max explained, gesturing to Jonathan and Nancy who both turned bright red. "and you did a pretty okay job being a mom last time, so why not?" She gazed at the weapons two out of the three teens were holding. "Jesus, why the fuck did you bring those things?"

Steve shrugged. "We didn't know what the hell we were doing," he pointed out. He gestured to Lucas. "This dumbass only said that it was an emergency and that Jonathan needed to bring me and Nancy with him over here."

Dustin cocked an eyebrow in Lucas' direction. "Really?" he asked incredulously. "You couldn't mention that Hop only needed them to be our goddamn babysitters? You _are_ a dumbass."

Lucas flipped him off. "Fuck off, I was panicking," he said, as if that clarified everything.

"Okay, then you should have just asked for Steve," Max replied, hitting him over the head. " _Why_ did you bring all three of them here? Too many people at once exposes the cabin."

"Well, if more Demodogs show up, you'll be glad for them, won't you?"

"El closed the gate, idiot!"

"There could be a few left over!"

"Don't you think we'd notice them by now?"

"Not if the Mind Flayer doesn't want us to!"

"Bullshit!"

" _Enough_ ," snapped Steve, his voice strangely stern. Well, strange for Nancy and Jonathan. The other three, however, immediately looked up to him, waiting for him to say something. "Everyone's stressed right now, but you two at each others' throats isn't doing shit. So cut it out." Max and Lucas lowered their heads in shame while Nancy and Jonathan just looked at each other, the same thought running through their minds:

 _What the hell just happened?_

OoOoOo

Eleven opened her eyes to total and utter darkness. There was nothing but black everywhere she turned. She knew where she was; she was in the Void. Next to her was a small boy who she immediately recognized. "Will," she spoke softly, shaking him gently. "Will, wake up." She was thoroughly reminded of when she contacted him for the first time last year. She hadn't known him, had never even seen him in person, but she had instantly formed a connection with him.

Not like the one she had with Mike. No, that was a completely different feeling entirely. Mike made her feel safe and cared for, but Will was the only one who understood what it was like to be the odd one out, even among friends. He was the only one in the world besides Kali who had an idea about what it was like to be her.

Will slowly opened his eyes. "El?" He sat up, looking around. "Where are we?" He might have been scared if not for the fact that she looked completely calm. It must be something of a natural occurrence for her.

"The Void," answered Eleven, helping him to his feet. She then realized something. The young girl poked Will's cheek, then ran her fingers through his hair before finally touching his arm.

Will's eyes shifted awkwardly, a barely visible blush forming on his cheeks. "Uh, El?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

El stopped touching him and looked him in the eye. "You didn't go away," she observed.

Will looked thoroughly puzzled. "Why would I?" he asked.

"Everyone does when I touch them here," she told him, her eyebrows were scrunched together in confusion. "but not you."

Will remembered her explaining the Void to him and the others a few days ago. She could see anyone she wanted to there, but tried to touch someone, they disappeared in front of her. "Does that mean... I'm here with you? You think it has something to do with what the Mind Flayer's been doing to us?"

El shrugged. "Maybe."

"But _why_ are we here?" asked Will. "I thought you could only enter the Void when you had a radio or TV or something like that and when you were blindfolded. Did they blindfold you or something?"

"Don't think so," responded El. She looked like she wanted to say something more when big, angry red storm clouds appeared in front of the through the darkness. In them formed a strange shape.

Well, to an outside it would be strange. But both El and Will knew exactly what it was. "The Mind Flayer," they whispered in unison, instinctively backing away in fear.

Will tugged on Eleven's sleeve, attempting to pull her away. "El, come on!" he urged, but the girl stayed where she was. " _El_!"

"Can't hurt us," El insisted, walking closer to it. She ignored Will's desperate pleas for her to stop. "What do you want?" She spoke slowly but evenly, making sure her voice was strong. The Mind Flayer seemed to look down at her, before touching one of its large tentacles to her forehead. She closed her eyes at the touch, allowing it to make contact with her mind.

" _EL_!" shouted Will, endless scenarios going through his head of what could happen. Mike and Hopper were both going to _murder_ him if anything happened to her. Then, she turned around to face him, her eyes glowing bright red. _Shit,_ he thought. _That can't be good._ The darkness that surrounded them suddenly began to change.

They were in the Upside Down. Well, not really there. He would be able to tell if they were. It was more like a projection of a memory. It was nothing like during on of his episodes. They were only there mentally, not physically. "Lonely," whispered Eleven. Will looked around and realized that it was indeed quite lonely. The only real company was the Demogorgon species and they weren't really conversationalists.

Will looked to the Mind Flayer. "What do you want?" he repeated his friend's question from earlier.

But it was El who answered, "A clean slate." She turned around to face him, her eyes no longer glowing. "Our world."

OoOoOo

Kali, Joyce, Michael, and Hopper all jumped back a bit when both children's eyes snapped open and they sat up in unison. Joyce was immediately at her son's side. "Will," she spoke. "Will, baby, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Will assured his mother. "I-" He shared a glance with El who looked just as lost as he felt. What had they just seen?

"How are _you_ doing, kid?" Hopper asked her, feeling her forehead.

El shrugged, looking around the unfamiliar place. "Where are we?" she asked, gently pushing away his hand.

"Somewhere the bed men won't get us," answered Kali.

"What did you guys see?" asked Michael, earning surprised looks from the two of them. "You both look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?"

Will and Eleven once again looked at each other. "The Void," answered the latter.

"The Mind Flayer was there," continued Will. At Joyce, Hopper, and Mike's panicked looks, he quickly added, "It didn't hurt us, El said it couldn't even if it wanted to. It just... showed us something."

"What was it?" questioned Kali, interested in all this other dimension weirdness.

"It wants this world," said El. She didn't want to, but she felt empathy for the monster. She had been alone for the majority of her life too. She knew how bad it felt. Of course, it wasn't any less of a monster, but she understood the pain it felt. "because it's... alone."

Kali was incredulous. "You mean it's been terrorizing this world, killing anyone it pleases because it's... _lonely_?" Of course, she realized she wasn't much better. But she killed for justice. She inflicted pain on those who inflicted pain on her. It was only fair. What could this world possibly have done to deserve the wrath of this monster?

Will nodded. "That's about right..."

Eleven tensed as she heard the sound of cars pulling up. " _Hide_ ," she hissed, startling everyone. "Bad men are here."

OoOoOo

 **Ew. That's all I have to say about this chapter. It feels rushed and poorly written to me, but I had no other way of wording it. Poor Mike, I only gave him two freaking lines here. Please, feel free to tell me how much it sucked with a review! Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovelies! Welcome to chapter five of 'Destiny of the Chosen!' I like this chapter slight better than the last one and I hope you will too! Please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

"In here," urged Hopper, opening up a nearby broom closet and practically shoving Eleven, Will, Mike, and Kali inside of it. He and Joyce, him armed with a gun and her armed with a large crowbar, quietly snuck away from the closet, hoping to not alert their enemies. "Don't open the door for _anyone_ unless you hear the secret knock. Kali, watch the kids while Joyce and I check out the area."

Kali cocked an eyebrow. "You're trusting _me_?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

"No," Hopper replied. "I'm trusting your love for El." He glanced at the girl in question. "Make sure she doesn't follow us."

Eleven quickly shook her head. "Want to help," she insisted.

Hopper was about to argue when Joyce shook her head at him, going to the girl herself. She gently took the girl's face in her hands. "El, sweetheart, we need you to stay here where it's safe," she pleaded softly. "Please, if they somehow find this closet, I need to know that Will and Michael will be safe with you. Can you do that for me?"

Eleven immediately nodded. She wanted to help, but she wanted to keep her friends safe even more. "Yes."

Joyce smiled before kissing both Will and Eleven on the forehead. "We'll be back soon," she promised. She turned to the chief. "Let's go, Hop."

Hopper nodded and followed her, closing the closet door behind him. "How did you know that protecting Wheeler thing was going to work?" he asked.

Joyce smirked. "That's easy," she responded slyly. "She's in love with the boy."

Hopper grunted. "Don't say that. They're thirteen, they're _kids_ Joyce _. T_ hey don't even know what love is."

"You can deny it all you want," retorted Joyce in a sing-song tone. "They way those two look at each other is nothing like anything I've seen before. They're in love, Hop."

"Christ, Joyce, when did you get all mushy on me?"

Joyce scoffed and lightly shoved him. "You just get ready to give El the talk," she teased. Hopper groaned and put his head in his hands; that was something he definitely wasn't looking forward to.

OoOoOo

"How long do you think they'll be gone?" asked Will after about five minutes of silence. He was afraid that the bad men would hurt his mother and (kind of) father figure and the fact that none of them could even speak did little to quell his fear.

"They'll be back soon," Michael assured him. "Don't worry, bud."

"Are there others?"

Kali turned to face El, who had spoken, sharply. "What?" She wasn't angry, just a bit taken back by

"Others like us," the brunette clarified. "Are there?"

Kali sighed. She really didn't want to get into this right now, but something told her that her sister wouldn't drop it. "You know the experiments and tests Brenner used on us when we were young?" El nodded. "Well, they were really dangerous, especially for children. You and I were very lucky, we're the only ones who survived."

Eleven recoiled as if she'd been slapped before slumping against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. "They're gone?" She couldn't believe it. The bad men had taken everything from her, Kali, and those other kids, only to have most of them die anyway with their twisted tests. They were truly horrible and vile people - every single one of them.

Kali nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry, Jane." She was also very upset by the fact. Those people- no. Those _monsters_ have destroyed so many lives. If she ever got the chance, she swore she would rip Brenner apart limb from limb.

Mike hated seeing Eleven upset, so he moved closer to her and put a comforting arm around her. She, in turn, rested her head on his shoulder, a few tears trickling down her face. "How many?"

"Counting me and you, twelve," answered Kali. She was about to respond when she heard footsteps approach. " _Quiet_ ," she ordered the three children. She heard someone try to force the door open and quickly made it seem like it was an empty broom closet with her powers. A very familiar man was there, she recognized him as one of Brenner's helpers.

Eleven tensed next to her and Kali gripped her hand tight. Apparently, she recognized the man as well. Kali would never deny her sister vengeance, but now was the time to stay hidden. They couldn't do that if Jane broke this man's neck. Kali could feel her energy begin to drain as the man looked around the closet, but she forced herself to hold out.

"There's nothing here," the man finally said, closing the closet door.

Kali let out a sigh of relief as she dropped the allusion. "Bloody hell, I thought we were dead," she admitted to the group. She wiped the blood that was coming from her nose.

"Are you okay?" asked El in concern.

Kali nodded. "I'm fine."

Soon enough, Joyce and Hopper returned. "They're gone," the chief told them. "We should get moving."

Mike turned to both Will and El. "Is the connection broken?"

Will thought about this for a second. "I can't feel him anymore," he answered. "El?"

"Gone," El confirmed. "Too far away." She felt exactly when the Mind Flayer's presence left her mind, which was slightly after she and Will had woken up. She had just wanted to make sure it was permanent before she said anything.

Hopper nodded in satisfaction, glad that thing was out of his daughter's mind. "Alright, we'll head back in a while. Just as soon as those bastards are far enough away for us to slip by." He turned to Kali. "I thought you said they'd never find us."

Kali shrugged. "Brenner's never been one to be read easily," she responded cryptically. "My guess is that they're checking the area. I doubt they'll come here again, but we should get back to the cabin anyway."

OoOoOo

Max groaned before finally standing up so fast that Dustin, who was next to her, actually jumped. "Ugh, I'm sick of waiting!" she complained. "There has to be _something_ we can do to help them!" She felt so useless. El and Will were possibly dying, yet she, Dustin, and Lucas were practically on house arrest and unable to help them.

Jonathan shook his head. "Hopper was clear, we're not allowed to let you three leave," he told her. Honestly, he got where she was coming from. Will was his little brother and ever since the Demogorgon got him last year, Jonathan couldn't help but worry whenever the thirteen year old wasn't with him.

Suddenly, headlights shined through the window. Lucas moved towards it curiously. "Is that Hopper?" he asked. His eyes widened as he immediately backed away from the window. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_!"

"What's wrong?" asked Dustin, looking out the window as well. "Aw, son of a bitch!" He turned to the rest of the group. "It's Billy!"

Max looked visibly taken back by that news. "It's _Billy_?" she repeated. "Shit, if he sees me here, he'll know I'm not staying at a friend's house! What is he even doing here?"

"Guys..." uttered Nancy nervously. "How does he even know about the cabin?"

The three teenagers looked at each other before looking back at her, then back at each other. " _Son of a bitch!_ "

Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, here's what we'll do. Max, _hide_." Max did as he said and positioned herself under El's bed in her room upstairs. "Lucas, Dustin, and Nancy, stay in here. Jonathan, come outside with me. Let's see if we can get this asshole to leave without causing a scene." Jonathan nodded and followed him outside.

"Well, well, well," said Billy upon seeing the two. "If it isn't 'King Steve' and 'Jonny Boy.' What would you two be doing here alone in the woods in the middle of the night? Making out?"

"Oh, cut the shit, what the hell are you doing here, Hargrove?" Steve demanded.

Billy chuckled. "I'm just looking for my sister," he answered nonchalantly.

"Well, she's not here," Jonathan snapped. "So get lost."

Billy smirked. "Well, Jonny Boy's got some balls," he observed. "Adorable. But you know what bothers me? The fact that two eighteen year old boys would be in a secluded cabin with a thirteen year old girl and _lie_ about it."

Jonathan scowled. "I just told you-"

"Oh, I know what you said," Billy interrupted. "but the fact that her skateboard's here tells me otherwise."

Both Jonathan and Steve turned and saw the said skateboard sitting right next to the boys' bikes. "Aw, son of a bitch," the said in unison. Billy approached them threateningly before he was suddenly on the ground. Behind him was Nancy with her gun in her hands.

"What the hell, Nancy!?" exclaimed Steve.

"You just _shot_ someone!" continued Jonathan.

Nancy rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't you idiots," she replied. "Did you _hear_ a gun go off? I just hit him with it."

"Oh."

Nancy shook her head and muttered, "Morons," before taking Billy's keys from his pocket and handing them to Steve. "Here, take his car back into town and drop him off. Jonathan, you follow him in you car and bring him back to the cabin. He shouldn't be able to remember seeing us or the cabin, so we're good with that." The boys glanced at each other with slight concern before doing as she said.

OoOoOo

When Hopper, Joyce, Kali, Will, Mike, and El got back, everyone was sitting on the couch in the cabin and watching TV. They looked completely normal. Hopper was immediately suspicious. "Alright, what happened?" he demanded. Six teenagers looking like they weren't up to no good usually meant they were up to no good. He should know, he _was_ one.

Max smiled. "What makes you think something happened, chief?" she asked innocently.

"You all look too normal."

Nancy waved off his concern. "The weirdest thing that happened tonight was that Dustin spent half an hour telling us unfunny jokes," she lied smoothly.

"Hey!" protested Dustin. "My jokes are _always_ funny!"

"Sorry, buddy," said Lucas. "but I have to agree with Nancy on this. Those jokes made me want to cut my ears off." He checked his watch. "Crap, it's getting late. I told my parents I was staying at Mike's."

Mike's eyes widened. "I told mine I was staying at Dustin's!"

"Aw, sh- _crap_." Luckily, Dustin caught himself before he swore near El in front of the chief. "I told my mom I was at Lucas'."

Max groaned. "Why didn't you all say you were staying at Will's?" she asked incredulously. When they failed to answer her, she shook her head. "Idiots. I'm friends with a bunch of idiots."

"That was brash of you all," Will confessed.

Joyce sighed. "I'll call your parents and tell them you're at my house," she volunteered. "Hop, I think they should all stay here for the night. We can't let them ride their bikes in the dark and honestly, I don't think any of us are in any shape to drive."

Hopper wanted to resist, but knew that she was right. "Fine," he relented.

Eleven's eyes brightened. "Sleepover?" she asked eagerly. She had seem them in a teen drama on TV and she had been desperate to have one with her friends ever since.

Hopper sighed. "Sleepover." The kids cheered. In the midst of it all, the chief grabbed Mike's shoulder. "No funny business, Wheeler, you hear me?"

Mike visibly gulped. "Y-Yes, sir." Hopper accepted this answer and let him go, knowing he'd have to have a certain talk with him and El sooner or later. He visibly shuddered at the thought.

OoOoOo

A few hours later, the teens were about to go to bed. Actually, all of them were already asleep. All of them except for two. The two of them couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard they tried. Will and El sat side-by-side on the couch, the same thought running through their head:

 _It's not over yet._

OoOoOo

 **Whew! That took about two hours to write! Now, let me say something. You all remember how I said I didn't really like Max and chapter one? Well, my dislike for her is literally _nothing_ compared to my hatred for her abusive, racist stepbrother (plus, she's kind of growing on me ^_^). I hate Billy so much that I can't even put it into words. Not only is he a jerk, he's also incredibly bland. And god, I really hope Karen (Mike and Nancy's mother) has enough self-respect to _not_ get involved with her. I pray to god that this doesn't happen in season three.**

 **Anyway, I really hope you liked this chapter and please review! Also, Happy New Year (I finished this chapter before 2018, I'm so happy)!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, for those of you who haven't reread chapter one yet, there were a few complications. I tried to edit a word on the app, but it ended up deleting around five hundred words. So that's why chapter one is different than it was. Don't know why you would, but just in case you want to know why it wasn't the same, it was because I had to go off memory. Anyway, please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

"Kali?"

"Yes, Jane?"

Eleven turned to the older girl who was busy sticking even more piercings into her skin using El's mirror. "You said you wanted Papa gone," she recalled, remembering when they had tracked down the man who had hurt her mother. Her sister had been ready to hunt down Brenner and kill him as well when the man, Ray, revealed he was alive. "Why hide?"

"When we found out Brenner was alive, I figured we could find him and he would be vulnerable enough," answered Kali, now moving on to applying eyeliner. "I thought that we'd be able to kill him quickly and quietly." She sighed. "But now that he and his men are actively looking for us, we won't even be able to get close before they lock us up, force hospital gowns on us, and shave off all our hair." She smirked. "But don't worry, we'll kill that bastard soon enough."

"Oh." El was quiet after that.

Kali mentally cursed herself for being so insensitive and turned to face her. "I have a question for you," she announced, striding over to the small girl. "Why do the others call you El or Eleven and not Jane?"

Eleven shook her head and pointed to herself. "Not Jane." She paused for a minute before adding, "Yet."

Kali nodded in understanding. "Yes, it took me a while too," she admitted. "but you'll always be Jane to me." El nodded in agreement. In an effort to change the subject, she smirked and held up one of the pieces of body jewelry. "Do you want one?"

El's eyes widened. "Hop will be mad," she pointed out, but Kali could see her growing excitement.

"We'll just do your earlobes," Kali assured her, holding up two small earrings. "Your police officer won't even realize you have them, your hair will cover it. So, what do you say?"

Eleven looked to the door nervously before nodding eagerly. "Yes."

OoOoOo

"Do you love her?"

Mike nearly spat out his hot chocolate at the sound of the unexpected voice. He looked up to see Kali staring down at him expectantly with her prying, intense dark eyes. He felt like she could see right through him. "W- _What_?" he managed, slightly choking. He was taken back by the question for sure, and he was positive she was talking about El.

"Jane," she clarified. "Do you love her?" He vaguely wondered why Kali was even at a random café in Hawkins, but decided not to ask.

Mike turned bright red. He knew he did. Some adults might disagree, but it wasn't a simple crush. He didn't call her every night for three hundred and fifty three days because of a simple crush. He didn't feel like he was floating on air every time she was around because of a crush. No, he knew what his feelings for her meant and what his heart was telling him. A world without El was a world he never wanted to live in again. Usually, he was shy when it came to his feelings surrounded her, but if he lied and said no he felt like Kali would either tell El (and that was the last thing he wanted) or break both his legs herself.

So he answered the question honestly, "Of course I do."

OoOoOo

"Hop?"

"Yeah, kid?"

El seemed hesitant, but continued, "What's a date?" Kali had come back to the cabin about an hour earlier and told her she should be getting ready for one soon, but she had no idea what that meant and her older sister refused a elaborate.

Hopper shifted in his seat, looking very uncomfortable. "It's when two people who like each other go out and do... stuff together," he answered somewhat vaguely, not really knowing how to explain it. He hoped the kid would just leave it at that. If this was going where he thought it was going, he was going to have to have that talk with her sooner than he thought.

"Stuff like what?"

Dammit. Hopper cleared his throat. "Sometimes they'll go out to dinner or see a movie," he attempted to explain. "You know, things like that." He suddenly narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why are you asking me this? Did Wheeler mention it to you?"

Eleven shook her head. "No," she responded. "Kali said I should get one soon."

Hopper was about to say something about how that no-good juvenile needed to stop corrupting her when he noticed something. Without a word, he moved back her hair to reveal a small, round earring attached to her ear. "What the hell is this?" he demanded. The girl shrugged her shoulders in response. "Don't shrug at me, young lady, where the hell did these come from?"

"So she got her ears pierced," said Kali as she appeared in the kitchen. "What's the big deal?"

Hopper glared at her and El got a terrible churning feeling in her stomach. "The big deal is that neither of you bothered to ask if this was okay," he snapped, his temper rising.

Kali rolled her eyes. "They're just earrings," she retorted. "It's not like I impaled her whole body." She sent El a sly smile. "Besides, what little girl doesn't want a nice pair of earrings?"

Hopper seemed to grow angrier by the second. "That isn't the point," he expressed angrily. "The point is that El can't just do what she wants. She needs structure, rules, discipline. Something _you_ clearly never had."

Kali scoffed. "What Jane needs is to take charge of herself," she insisted. "She's been imprisoned her whole life, she doesn't need anyone else ordering her around and hiding her from the world." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Something _you've_ obviously been doing for a while."

Eleven bit her lip (a nervous habit she's recently developed) as she watched the two argue. It happened nearly everyday and it was getting frustrating. She didn't want this. She didn't want her family to fight with each other. Why couldn't Hopper and Kali just get along? She loved them both so much and she knew they loved her too, just in different ways. She was starting to think maybe having Kali here wasn't such a good idea...

Finally having enough, El used her powers to slam a cupboard shut loudly, silencing them both. "Stop fighting," she commanded, wiping blood from her nose. "Please," she added, remembering what Hopper taught her about manners. She then went back to eating her Eggos as if nothing had happened. Kali and Hopper glared at each other once more before eating their dinner as well.

It was then that Hopper realized something. "Hey, Eggos aren't dinner, kid!"

OoOoOo

"Dr. Owens-"

Sam held up a hand. "Don't, Dr. Blanch," he warned, resting his head in his other hand. "Every time you report to me, there's an issue. There's never any good news with you. Don't you have something good to say for once?"

Dr. Blanch sighed. "I'm sorry, sir, but there is a problem," she replied. "The rift in the gate, it's getting bigger. And we're detecting large waves of energy emitting from it. At this right, these energy waves will cause it to collapse on itself, wiping out both worlds."

Sam groaned. "Get on to containing it," he ordered. "I don't care what it takes, just get this under control. We can't afford to have this situation grow any worse." His female companion ran off to do just that. Dr. Owens sighed. He had a feeling this wasn't going to be easy.

OoOoOo

El blinked as she looked around the familiar void. But how was she here? She remembered visiting (if you could even call it that) Mike for a few minutes here before going to bed, so why was she back? She was going to explore some more when she heard soft singing coming from behind her. She turned around to see a small figure huddled in a crouching position. She recognized the hair immediately. "Will?"

Will's head snapped up to meet her eyes before he sighed in relief. "El," he utter softly, jumping up and embracing her. "I was starting to get scared I was alone. Have you been having them too?"

Eleven slowly hugged him back, he was cold to the touch. "Bad dreams?" she asked. "Yes."

Will pulled away and looked around. "This is the first time I've been here after we broke the connection," he admitted. "You?"

"I see Mike," El told him. "But not sleeping."

Will nodded in understanding. "Well, since I'm here and you're here at the same time, our minds must be, like, linked or something. Why do you think that is?"

"The Upside Down," answered Eleven. "I touched you when you were there."

"I remember that," said Will, smiling bitterly at the memory. He had been cold, alone, and scared, but seeing her there, assuring him that his mother was coming and everything would be alright had given him something to hold on to. It was what pushed him to survive. "That's how you saved me. But that was a year ago. Why is this connection only here now?" She may have not had the same education as the rest of them, but El, he noticed, was really good at connecting things in her mind.

El shrugged. "I don't know," she replied simply.

Will chuckled, then frowned as a thought came to him. "Last time we were here, you told me the Mind Flayer was lonely," he recalled. "but what would he do when he took over our world? Make it like the Upside Down? He'd still be lonely then."

"Force," muttered El, seeming quite distracted as she looked around.

Will's eyes widened. "He's gonna put the world under mind control?"

El shrugged once more. "Maybe."

Will sighed and rubbed his temples. "Well, at least you sealed the gate. He can't take over the world if he can't get to it."

Eleven shook her head. "Weak," she mumbled, placing her hands on the ground. Or what he assumed was the ground. It was really hard to tell when all he could see was black.

"You mean the seal's _weakening_?"

"Yes."

"Crap, that's not good."

El suddenly clenched her fist. "Here," she announced. She suddenly gripped Will's shoulders and shook him. "Will, wake up. Get away."

Will shook his head. "I'm not leaving you," he insisted.

"Okay," she assured him. " _Go_." Before he could argue, she threw him away with her powers. The last thing he saw were her scared yet deteremined eyes and blood running from her nose before he blacked out.

OoOoOo

" _El_!" shouted Will, springing up from bed.

Joyce immediately rushed in. "Will!" she exclaimed with worry. "Will, honey, what's wrong?"

"Eleven!" Will yelled, throwing himself out of bed and yanking his clothes on. "She's in trouble, we have to help her!" If he was correct, she was going up against the Mind Flayer alone. He knew she was strong, but was she _that_ strong? He couldn't bare to imagine the look on Mike's face when he found out something bad happened to her. He'd be devastated.

"Will, _what_ -?"

Will grabbed his shoulders and she suddenly noticed the complete and utter fear in his eyes. "Mom, _please_!" he begged. "We have to get to Hopper's! El's in danger!"

Joyce looked at her son before nodding. "Let's go."

OoOoOo

When Kali woke up that morning, she knew something was off. Physically, there was nothing wrong with her surroundings. Everything was exactly how she remembered it from last night. The room was messy and that was good; she and Jane were both very unorganized. But from what she could see there was no sign of a break in and Jane was sleeping peacefully-

Oh, _shit_.

Kali was never awake before Jane. The younger girl was actually quite the early riser. She immediately rushed over to the girl, trying to shake her awake. "Jane wake up," she urged. " _Jane_!" Kali put her ear on her sister's chest and sighed in relief; her heart was still beating, which meant she was still alive. But why wasn't she waking up?

Kali was about to get the police officer when suddenly he, the boy who had been in the same condition as Jane, and the boy's mother were standing in the doorway. "I know what's wrong with her," revealed the boy. "Well, sort of."

"Well, get on with it, kid," urged the police officer nervously.

"She's trapped," said the boy and Kali felt her heart leap into her throat.

OoOoOo

 **I actually like this chapter more than most of the others. I don't know why, it just seems like it flows more to me. Though, it did give me some trouble. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review! :3 ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that we're coming to the end of this story. You know how Stranger Things episodes only have about 8 or 9 episodes? Well, I'm doing the same for this story. Anyway, please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

"What do you mean she's _trapped_?" demanded Kali, standing up and staring the boy down. How could her sister be trapped if she was lying right in front of her? It didn't make any sense. It must have been some kind of mind thing. She herself did manipulate the mind, but her powers weren't as developed as the younger girl's. Jane's powers were much more adept at communicating than hers.

Will looked like he was on the verge of bursting into tears. "We... we were both in the Void last night," he revealed. Guilt bubbled in his stomach, If El got hurt, it would be all his fault. "But we d-didn't do it on purpose, we were sleeping. We were only talking when the Mind Flayer showed up. She pushed me away and made me wake up s-so that she could fight it herself. B-But she can't come back unless she wins."

Kali gaped at him. "She's trapped... in her own mind?"

"Hop, we have to get her out of there!" insisted Joyce after feeling the unconscious girl's forehead. "She's burning up, do something!"

"I'll take her to Owens," Hopper decided, lifting Eleven into his arms. "see if he can figure out how to snap the kid out of this." No one really had a better plan, so they all followed Hopper to his truck and piled inside.

OoOoOo

The drive to Hawkins Laboratory was silent as they pulled up to the large building. Kali internally winced upon seeing it, but kept a straight face. She had escaped a long time ago, she was free. This place, this awful place, couldn't imprison her anymore. "And just how exactly is bringing her here supposed to help her?" she snapped, crossing her arms as they stepped out of the truck.

"They have a lot more technology and know more about El's powers," Joyce explained before Hopper could snap back. "They helped Will too. Hopefully, they'll be able to help us wake El up."

Kali cocked an eyebrow. "And if they can't?" she challenged. No one answered her. Truthfully, they had all been thinking the same thing. Kali was just the only one brave enough to say it out loud. Everyone was silent as they entered the building.

Surprisingly, no one was at the front desk. "Hello?" called Hopper. "Owens? You here?" No answer.

"This is strange," muttered Joyce, eyeing the surrounding area for any signs of any more monsters. Of course, with the gate closed it was unlikely, but you never know when life would surprise you.

A doctor suddenly came into the room and everyone (except Kali) immediately noticed it wasn't Owens. For one, this was a woman. She young woman at that, probably in her mid twenties. "Can I help you?" she asked impatiently.

Hopper was about to answer when Kali shoved her way between the two adults and up to the desk. "Actually, _you_ can't," she snapped. Concentrating hard, she made the woman think her skin was melting. The woman soon ran away screeching. Satisfied, Kali turned back to the group. "Now, let us go find this Dr. Owens and see if he can fix my sister." She noticed they were all staring at her. "What?"

Hopper shook his head, exasperated. "Never mind, let's just go," he urged the group. They four of them rushed through the double doors and down the long, winding hallways. "Owens!"

Suddenly, Will bumped into someone much bigger than him and fell onto the ground. He quickly got up and dusted himself off. "Oh, I'm sor- Dr. Owens?"

The group double backed for him. "What the hell, Owens?" demanded Hopper angrily, still holding onto Eleven tight. "Where have you been? And why is this place empty?"

Owens sighed. "It's been a long week," he admitted tiredly. "What's the issue here? And why is Eleven asleep?"

"There's something wrong wit her," Hopper told him. He looked at the young boy beside him expectantly. "Will, you know more than us. Tell him what happened."

Will fidgeted nervously as everyone's gaze turned to him. "We... we were in the Void last night when we were sleeping," he attempted to explain. "Then, the Mind Flayer showed up. Or, I think it did. She just said something was here. Anyway, she pushed me away and that's when I woke up. Now she won't wake up and I think she trying to fight it."

"Can you snap her out of it?" asked Joyce, subconsciously brushing the young girl's hair out of her face.

Owens sighed, rubbing his temples. "Follow me," he instructed, walking down the hallway. The group immediately trailed after him, desperate to help the girl who had somehow made her way into their hearts.

OoOoOo

"You say this happened in the Void?"

Will nodded. "Yeah," he answered. He was afraid for Eleven. Last time she had faced a monster, she ended up disappearing into the Upside Down. And that was only the Demogorgon. The Mind Flayer was much more powerful and a lot smarter. He noticed there was a sizable amount of blood running down the lower half of his friend's face. That was more blood from her than he had ever seen. "Guys, _look_."

Kali followed his gaze and was immediately panicked. " _Shit_ ," she cursed, clutching her sister's hand. "Jane's using too much of her energy. Using our powers too much is really dangerous."

"Like, how dangerous?" asked Hopper, his eyebrows knitted together in concern for his adopted daughter. He had seen her nose bleed heavily once before when she closed the gate, but it was no where near this amount.

Kali couldn't even meet his eyes. "She could die," she uttered softly.

" _What_?" everyone, except for Dr. Owens, around her exclaimed.

"Our powers put extra strain on our minds," the teenager clarified. Kali had figured this out a long time ago when she nearly died a few years ago. "That's why we bleed when we use them. Overexerting them seriously messes with our health." She let her eyes shift to her sister - her brave, selfless sister. She had to stop doing this, she had to wake up. Kali lost a lot of people in her life and was able to move on, but she didn't think she could take it if she lost Jane too.

"She's definitely in some sort of trance," confirmed Owens. "Most likely a self-induced coma."

Joyce looked even more frazzled than she already was. "We already knew _that_ ," she snapped. "We brought her here because we thought _you_ would be able to snap her out of it."

Owens shook his head. "I can't," he told them solemnly. "The only way to do that would be to actual go into her mind and assist her with fighting the..."

"Mind Flayer," finished Will.

"But without abilities like her, I can't do anything for her," continued Owens.

Hopper looked like he wanted to punch something. "So we came here for nothing," he seethed. "Just fucking _great_."

Kali's eyes widened with realization. "Maybe not," she speculated. "Jane's powers deal with the mind, but so do mine. It's possible that I could reach her somehow and help her."

"No, I'll go," insisted Will. "Our minds are already connected, I could help her."

Kali snorted. "And do _what_?" This boy was scrawny, small, and didn't have any powers. Plus, her sister had told her all about what happened to him. If anything went wrong while he was there, his family would never recover. There weren't as many people that would miss her, she was much more expandable. "I will be able to help her the most."

"That's extremely risky, Miss Prasad," said Owens. "If you link your mind to hers, you could end up in the same state."

"I will take that risk," Kali vowed. She was done running from her problems, it was time to face them head on. And what better reason to face them than to do it to save her sister? No one replied as she pressed her forehead to El's and shut her eyes tightly. She had never linked anyone's mind with hers before, but she would try for Jane.

Everyone's breath hitched as Kali was suddenly rendered unconscious.

OoOoOo

Kali's eyes snapped open to darkness. It was pitch black wherever she looked. "Jane?" she called, pushing herself off what she assumed was the floor (it was hard to tell). "Jane, are you here?" She heard a grunt from behind her and turned to see the girl, hands held out in front of her and blood running down her face. By this time, it wasn't just her nose. Her ears and even her eyes were also bleeding. "Jane!"

Eleven turned to her, her eyes wide with alarm. " _Kali_?" she demanded. Her voice was strained, as if it hurt just to talk. "What are you d-doing-" She cut herself off with a grunt of pain. " _Leave_!"

Kali was about to retort when she looked up and saw what she could only describe as a monster. It was a huge, looming figure with eight tentacle-like arms. "That's... the Mind Flayer?" she asked.

"Yes," Jane managed to choke out. "The gate is... breaking. I have to..."

"Beat him?" finished Kali, her mouth agape. "Jane, you can't! That thing's way to strong! You'll _die_!"

"But he won't escape," Eleven pointed out. "Have to help."

"This isn't your job!" retorted Kali. "Brenner and his men did this, let them fix it!"

"I opened the gate," El told her, as if that explained everything.

"He _made_ you!"

"Kali... please," begged Eleven. "Go."

Kali shook her head. "No," she refused, taking her sister's hand. "We do this together."

Eleven was about to argue when she suddenly felt a surge of power. "Kali..." she whispered. Kali was giving her energy! She felt the strain of facing the Mind Flayer for hours disappear and her powers seemed to be fully charged.

With a renewed vigor, El faced the Mind Flayer once again. She focused all of her anger; anger at the bad men for imprisoning her and ruining her life and anger at the Mind Flayer for threatening her new found family and everything she cherished. It was slowly approaching the two girls before it stopped suddenly. It seemed to freeze before it gave a terrible shriek and began to shake violently. El stood her ground and the horrible creature suddenly evaporated.

Eleven panted heavily before collapsing. Luckily, Kali caught her before she could fall. "You did it," she praised. Her sister was such a fighter. If she could handle that thing, Brenner and his man would be a piece of cake.

El smiled weakly. "Lets's go home."

OoOoOo

Naturally, Kali was awake before Eleven. "Jane," was her first thought as she sat up. She was immediately aware of two things; a) she was in the cabin and not the laboratory and b) her sister was sleeping peacefully next to her. She was relieved to see that Jane's nose had stopped bleeding, her temperature was much cooler than before, and the sickly pale complexion she had returned to a much more healthy color.

Kali smiled; she hadn't failed her sister after all. She was glad she had been able to help Jane protect the world she had come to love. Kali didn't understand why Jane would risk her life for a world that hadn't done a thing for her, but she supposed that was the difference between her and her sister. She suddenly became aware of shuffling next to her.

Eleven tiredly opened her eyes. "K-Kali?"

Kali's smile grew bigger. "You did it," she repeated her words from the Void. "You really did it."

El nodded, her eyelids drooping slightly. "I did it."

"Is it dead?" asked Kali.

Eleven shook her head. "No, but it's trapped." She grinned victoriously. "No way back."

OoOoOo

"Unbelievable," whispered Dr. Blanch in awe as she watched the rift close. "Sir, the gate has been sealed again. This time, it's more than ten times more durable than before. It's... it's a miracle!"

Dr. Owens smiled. "Not a miracle," he corrected her. "Eleven." The world owed that girl their lives. She truly was amazing.

OoOoOo

Suddenly, El's bedroom door burst open and there stood Mike. "Eleven!" he exclaimed, nearly toppling her over in a hug. As soon as Will told him what happened over the phone earlier, he had pedaled over like he never pedaled before. "You're okay!" He held her tightly, as if afraid she'd disappear if he didn't. "You're okay..." He repeated this once or twice more before pulling back to look at her. He didn't know which emotion was stronger; his relief at El's safety or his anger at Hopper for not bothering to tell him what was going on.

Eleven smiled widely at him as she hugged him back. "I'm okay," she confirmed with a nod of her head.

"WHEELER!" thundered Hopper, suddenly standing at the door.

Mike suddenly remembered that one of Hopper's rules for him was that he wasn't allowed in Eleven's room. "Aw, shit," he swore. He gave El a quick kiss on the cheek before darting out the door past the chief. El giggled at the sight and Kali rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smirk that adorned her face.

Everything was okay now.

OoOoOo

 **I hope you liked it! I know the battle between El and the Mind Flayer was lame, but I _suck_ at writing fight scenes. Especially since El's not even fighting with her body. Anyway, there are about two or three more chapters left for this series. Please review and have yourself am awesome day!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry for not updating in so long! Please enjoy this extra long chapter as an apology!**

OoOoOo

After the Mind Flayer's defeat at the hands of Eleven, things seemed to go back to normal. Well, as normal as it can get for this specific group of kids. As he promised, Hopper allowed El to go into town with her friends once and while. This also played in his favor since her doing so also got the town acquainted with "Jane Hopper," an orphan Jim had found in the system and who would be joining Hawkins High School next school year.

Almost every one of the townspeople seemed to adore El. Hopper had been teaching her manners for a while and she made sure to use them in public. To them, she was simply a sweet, innocent little girl.

(Little did they know, she could break all of their necks in half a second if she wanted to.)

As for the boys and Max, they were more or less obsessive when it came to her. They kept her away from anyone they deemed was trouble. Still, this didn't stop other kids from noticing her. With her newly grown hair, she was unrecognizable to Troy and James and was simply deemed as "just another geek." Everyone else took an interest in her for a few days before moving on to something else.

Kali had decided to stay for a while, convinced Brenner would make a move soon (much to Hopper's dismay). She would visit her gang for about two weeks every other month.

Almost eight months after the Mind Flayer had been locked away in the Upside Down, she and her friends were at the arcade. El, who had never touched a video game in her life, somehow managed to crush Dustin's high score and was close to topping Max's on _Dig Dug_.

Both young teens in question were gaping at her while Mike and Will smiled encouragingly. Lucas smirked as El exceeded Max's score by a thousand points. "Looks like Madmax's rein of tyranny is over," he quipped smugly. "Nice going, E- _Jane_." While everyone was getting better at it, it was hard to refer to her as Jane when they weren't alone. Though Hopper was adamant, there could be one of Brenner's men lurking behind any corner. If they slipped up, even once, there could be hell to pay.

El smiled slightly, but kept her eyes trained on the screen. "Thank you," she replied softly.

Max, on the other hand, jabbed Lucas in the stomach. "Asshole," she muttered disdainfully. Their relationship was... undefined for the moment. One minute, they seemed to be really close, the next they were at each other's throats.

Dustin groaned. "Great, now I'm in _third_ place," he complained, to which everyone laughed.

El finally ended up dying in the game after around three thousand more points. She shrugged before entering her name as _JH_ and turning back to the group. "I win."

Mike beamed at her. "Good job, Jane."

El smiled back and gently took his hand, making both of them blush slightly. They're relationship had grown in some ways, but had also stayed the same in others. They would kiss on occasion (always out of Hopper's view), but not much more than that. Not that it bothered either of them, for now they were content with being, well, kids.

"Guys, I think we should start heading home," suggested Will, gesturing to the window where the sun could be seen going down.

"He's right," agreed Lucas. "Hop'll flip his shit if Jane isn't home soon."

Max nodded, glancing at the door. "Steve's here anyway," she noticed. She waved, walking off. "See you guys later."

"Bye, Max," the group chorused starting to make their way outside to their bikes. Everyone had pitched in and gotten El her own bike for her birthday (which she had decided was March 11th for reasons unknown to everyone else). Joyce had eventually let Will go places by himself again as well, so

"Jane, you sure you don't want me to come with you?" asked Mike as the five of them rode through the streets.

El nodded. "It's late," she pointed out, rolling her eyes slightly (something she picked up from Kali, adding to Hopper's annoyance with the teen); they had this conversation nearly everyday they went out. "Your parents will be mad. I'm fine."

"If you're sure..."

"I'll be with her most of the way," Will assured him. "We'll be fine, right Jane?"

El smiled at him. "Right."

OoOoOo

After waving goodbye to Dustin who had turned onto his own street, Will turned to El. "Are you excited for school next week?" he asked her. She had made really good progress in her studies, her mind absorbing everything at an exceptionally fast rate. She was doing well in math especially, the equations and rules easy for her to comprehend. Her reading was at a tenth grade level as well.

El shrugged. "Nervous," she admitted.

Will gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't be. You'll do great."

"High school," uttered El. "Different."

Will shrugged. "I guess it will be different from middle school," he agreed. "but it's no big deal. There's only one middle school, so it'll be the same kids we were with last year. Like I said, you'll do great. Besides, we've been through much worse. Right?"

El seemed to be calmed by his reasoning. "Right."

They soon arrived at Will's house. "I'll see you later, El," he said, stopping on his lawn.

"Bye, Will," El called over her shoulder, continuing to ride through the woods. She finally came upon the cabin where she saw her sister waiting on the front porch.

"Hello, Jane," greeted Kali, standing up. "How was your arcade trip?"

"Good," answered El as she approached the cabin. "I beat Max's score."

"Did you?" responded Kali in a way a parent might respond to their child rambling on and on. They entered the cabin and El made her way to the kitchen. "Hey, you know the rules. No Eggos until after dinner. Your policeman would have a fit." She grinned widely. "Lucky for you, I'm not him."

El grinned back and proceeded to pop her Eggos into the toaster. "What did you do today?" she asked. Her speech had improved greatly as well, though she still struggled with remembering certain words.

Kali shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, you know. Robbed a convenience store, things like that."

El frowned. "Kali..."

Kali laughed. "Just kidding." She took out a bottle of soda and poured herself a glass. "So... school." She shook her head. "I never went. Too many people."

"Adults," chimed El knowingly.

The older girl couldn't help the smirk on her face. "Yes, adults. But you aren't me, Jane. You'll be fine."

"Will said that too."

Kali nodded. "Smart boy."

"Smart boy," El agreed.

OoOoOo

It was finally here. El's first day of attending school. She thought she would be nervous, but Will's words from the previous week echoed in her mind, _Besides, we've faced much worse, right?_ Indeed they had, her especially. If she could escape a high security lab, go head to head with a faceless monster, close a gate to a parallel world, and trap an even more powerful monster inside said universe, she could handle other kids her age.

The stirring in her stomach she had a week ago was gone, replaced with a determination to beat this like she had the Demogorgon, Mind Flayer, and Brenner. Compared to all that, what was high school? With renewed vigor, El began to pull on the outfit she and Kali had chosen the previous day; a pair of jeans along with a black T-shirt (they were going to include the black leather jacket Kali had gotten her for Christmas, but Hopper had been adamant about cutting out some of the black, to which Kali had scoffed).

Her hair, which was now past her chin, was in its usual curls. However, they were a lot more tame than they had been the previous year. Now they were in soft ringlets as compared to the messy mop they used to be. She smiled slightly at her reflection before going over to Kali's bed and tapping her softly. "Kali."

"What?" came the groggy response. Her sister was not a morning person.

"Going to school," said El. "Bye."

"Bye," replied Kali, turning to the other side. El giggled, making her way downstairs.

Hopper, who was making breakfast, smiled at her. "Hey, kid," he greeted. "You hungry?"

El nodded, sitting down at the small table. "Eggos?" she asked hopefully. "Special day."

Hopper shook his head and laughed, setting her plate off eggs, bacon, and toast down in front of her. "Nice try, kid, but you know the rule. Eggos are for dessert." El pouted, but began to eat nonetheless. When she was done, he handed her a backpack. "Here you go, kid. Now, get going to Will's or you're gonna be late."

El nodded, standing up and setting her place in the sink. "Bye, Hop," she said, giving him a hug.

Hop hugged her back, cursing himself for the pang in his heart he felt at the thought of her going away to her first day of school. She was growing up, yes, but he was thoroughly reminded of Sarah's first day of school. It was as hard now as it was then. "Take care of yourself, kid," he managed to get out gruffly.

She pulled away, smiling at him one last time before walking out of the cabin and riding away on her bike.

OoOoOo

"Hey, Jane."

El turned and smiled. "Hi, Max." Over the course of those nine months, she and the redhead had grown close. Both being relatively new to the Party, they often bonded when the boys were campaigning. Their friendship, Dustin joked, could rival the relationships they had with Mike and Lucas respectively. Both boys had scowled at their friend when they heard that.

Max groaned. "Well, we're here," she muttered. " _High school_. But I don't see what's so great about it."

El shrugged. "It's big," she spoke and she was right. Compared to the middle school, the high school was a lot bigger.

Max rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's just find those three morons." She paused before adding, "And Will." El giggled and followed the redhead into the school.

OoOoOo

The two girls met up with their guy friends soon after, comparing their schedules. To El's relief, she had at least one of her friends in all her classes. She had math for first period with Max, science for second period with Mike and Dustin, study hall for third period with Lucas, and art with Will for fourth period. She shared homeroom with Max as well and all six of them had lunch together.

Max, who was glancing over the brunette's shoulder at her schedule, sighed in relief. "Oh thank god. I thought I was gonna be totally alone." She frowned. "Just great, I only have math with you and ELA with Lucas."

El pat her shoulder sympathetically. "Sorry," she said genuinely. "We share homeroom though."

Dustin grimaced. "At least you have more than one class with each other," he said to the group. "I only have science with you and Mike, E- Jane."

Will looked at his schedule. "But you have homeroom with me too," he pointed out.

Dustin perked up. "Oh, yeah. Didn't see that."

The bell suddenly rang and Max grabbed El's shoulder. "Come on, we have Mr. Daniel for homeroom." El nodded and waved goodbye to the guys before trailing after her friend.

OoOoOo

When they arrived to their homeroom, El and Max immediately chose seats next to each other. "What do you think he'll be like?" whispered the redhead to the other girl.

El shrugged. "Nice, I hope." She hoped all her teachers would be nice, but was warned by her friends that not every teacher would be as nice and friendly as Mr. Clarke was.

It was then that who they assumed to be Mr. Daniel entered the class. He was tall and looked to be in his mid-thirties with brown hair and eyes to match. "Good morning, class," he greeted the students. "My name is Mr. Daniel and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the entirety of this year. Let's all start with you introducing yourselves." His eyes rested on El. "Who might you be, young lady?"

El didn't know why, but there was something off about this teacher. She just couldn't place it. "Jane," she answered. "Jane Hopper."

Mr. Daniel kept his eyes on her for a moment before moving to Max. "And you?"

Max, who had caught on to El's off behavior, regarded the teacher cautiously. "Max Mayfield." As the Mr. Daniel moved on, the two girls shared a glance; there was definitely something off about that teacher.

OoOoOo

The rest of the day went by smoothly for El. She did well in the rest of her classes, even math where the teacher she had wasn't so pleasant. Said teacher thought she would take El by surprise and humiliate her in front of the class, but El actually managed to point out the teacher's mistake in the equation, resulting in the students all laughing at her instead of El. Max, who had been there and hated math with a passion, was probably the loudest out of everyone.

Finally, it was time for art with Will. While she didn't really like to draw as much as the boy next to her, she was halfway decent. But art, she found, was a lot more than just drawing. There were elements and principles to it, something she found made the subject a lot more interesting.

The art teacher was very nice as well. Her name was Miss Honey and she explained things to El and her classmates in a calm, understanding way. "Now, sweetie, don't be afraid to ask questions," she told her after helping her with one of the Elements of Design.

El smiled and nodded. "I won't, ma'am." Soon enough, school was over and it was time for everyone to go home. She couldn't wait to tell Hopper how well her day had gone.

OoOoOo

Later that night, a cloaked figure looked around warily before activating their earpiece. _Did you make contact?_ asked a voice on the other end impatiently, yet softly at the same time.

The figure nodded. "I did," they answered, their tone agitated. "You had better be right about this, Brenner. If we mess this up..."

 _We won't,_ assured Brenner. _Keep a low profile and make sure she doesn't suspect you. She's very good at sensing if she's in danger._

"I will."

 _Good,_ responded Brenner, satisfied. _Go now, someone might see you._ The figure did as told, shutting off their earpiece. They looked around once more before walking away into the night.

OoOoOo

 **Uh-oh, looks like Brenner's got an agent on the inside. Who could it be? Though, I'll tell you right now, that's not the mystery here. Please review!**


End file.
